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The Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets. For over three generations, the Academy has connected millions of people to great poetry through programs such as National Poetry Month, the largest literary celebration in the world; Poets.org, the Academy’s popular website; American Poets, a biannual literary journal; and an annual series of poetry readings and special events. Since its founding, the Academy has awarded more money to poets than any other organization.

Lee Ann Roripaugh

Laramie, United States

Lee Ann Roripaugh was born in Laramie, Wyoming in 1965 where she was raised. Her degrees include an MM in music history, a BM in piano performance, and an MFA in creative writing, all from Indiana University.

Her first volume of poetry, Beyond Heart Mountain (Penguin Books, 1999), was selected by Ishmael Reed for the National Poetry Series and was also a finalist for the 2000 Asian American Literature Awards. She is also the author of On the Cusp of a Dangerous Year (Southern Illinois University Press, 2009); and Year of the Snake (2004).

Other honors include an Academy of American Poets Prize, an AWP Intro Award, and the 1995 Randall Jarrell International Poetry Prize.

Her poetry has also been selected for inclusion in the anthologies American Identities: Contemporary Multicultural Voices (eds. Robert Pack and Jay Parini, 1994), American Poetry: The Next Generation (eds. Gerald Costanzo and Jim Daniels, 2000), and Waltzing on Water: Poetry by Women (eds. Norma Fox Mazer and Marjorie Lewis, 1989).

She is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of South Dakota.